Through the Darkness
by The Forgotten Muse
Summary: Eiji Ito is a young clairvoyant traveling the shinobi world as an oracle, but what happens when he envisions the end of the world and encounters a Jinchûriki?


_In the darkness, there is nothing. Therefore, sight is pure. _

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It was a blazing summer day, but it didn't matter. To an elite shinobi, even the hottest summer days were no more than flies in the spectrum of troubles. Oh no, shinobi had much worse things to worry about, things such as assassinations and surprise attacks from rival shinobi clans. The reason this particular day stood out amongst the rest, though, was because the young clairvoyant, Eiji Ito, had a vision. He belonged to the esteemed Ito clan, known for their powerful clairvoyants. It was Eiji's ancestor who had warned Konoha of the impending Kyûbi assault 15 years earlier, and now, Eiji had inherited the clan's name.

It was said that those who were blind had the most powerful visions, and it was true, for those without vision can tap the eternal power of time best, as they have no true ties to the physical world. Such was the case with Eiji. He had medium length snow white hair that hung below his ears. He wore his blank headband over his eyes to show that he was blind. He wore a blue-green Shintô Priest top with Cream Shintô pants. He wore bandages around his lower legs and feet under the standard blue shinobi shoes. On his back he carried a single pack with a sleeping bag tied on top of it. Under his top and along a simple leather belt, he had two bladed fans for combat. On his left ear was a single diamond-shaped sapphire earring that matched a blue necklace with a slight glow. This boy was not obviously a shinobi, and rather, he looked like a pacifist monk.

He walked slowly and steadily along the path leading to the Hidden Grass village. He had had a vision nights earlier that a civil war was about to begin there, and it was his duty as an oracle to prevent such a tragedy. He stopped and titled his head towards the sun; somebody was in the tall grass around the path, waiting for him. Quietly, Eiji slid a fan out from its hidden sanctuary and slightly opened it, ready for the impending attack, but otherwise showed no signs of alarm -- this was how a shinobi should be. He continued to walk along the path until he suddenly stopped at the peak of the grass and opened his fan fully, deflecting a kunai knife that had flown towards him. "It's useless to hide; I am an oracle, I can sense where you are, hidden or not. Come out before I kill you, coward." he announced calmly. A small rustle came from the grass as three shinobi from the Hidden Grass stepped out, kunai knives drawn and poised to attack. "I come not to harm you, I have had a vision. I must proclaim it to your leader before it has a chance to begin." he explained, and stepped forward, gently pushing the closest's hand down to elminate the threat. The shinobi growled, but showed no signs of attacking.

"Fine," he replied after a good minute, "follow us; we'll take you to the village." And he ran off towards the village. "Better stay with us, or you'll get lost in the forest!"

Eiji dashed towards them, easily catching up with them. The shinobi, and obvious leader of the group, growled again in annoyance. In five minutes, they were at a clearing. Eiji sighed and drew a rune in the dirt by a tree stump, activating the entrance. The stump disappeared to reveal a hole in the ground with a ladder leading down. "But . . . h-how did you know about the entrance?!!" the leader stuttered.

"I'm a clairvoyant, as I said; I saw it in my vision. Hurry, now; I must meet with your leader at once." Eiji responded, and hurried down the ladder. The inside was a small tunnel with a diameter of 3 meters. Eiji walked forward without hesitation, and soon reached the other side of the tunnel 400 feet away. Again, he knelt down and drew a rune in the dirt, causing a hole to open up in the ceiling of the tunnel and letting the light flood in. Eiji jumped, grabbed the edge of the opening, and climbed to the surface. "Hidden Grass . . . . the breeze feels good." he noted, and climbed quickly onto a roof. "Thank you for your help, young shinobi. I'll be sure to tell your leader you had a hand in this." he told them, smiled, and dashed away on the rooftops toward the tower where the Grass Leader was.


End file.
